End of May

Since Eli was underrepresented in my last post, I'll start with a few photos of our sweet boy. Last Friday, while Emmy and I were at her dance rehearsal, Eli and Daddy went to a Dash game with our Sunday School class. It is really neat to see Eli starting to understand the sport. And I know it makes his Daddy happy, too! During the evening, one of my friends sent me a photo of Boomer and Eli watching not one, but TWO, baseball games. Since Wake was playing at the same time, Boomer pulled it up on his phone to follow the score. Both boys were also excited to get a baseball signed by Jackson Holliday, the overall #1 draft pick for the Orioles this year. Boomer claims that the baseball will be worth lots of money one day... we'll see!

Eli came down with a fever on Sunday, so Boomer and I each took half-days on Monday to stay home with him. Boomer was able to get him in to the doctor in the morning. He tested negative for strep, but without any real diagnosis, it just had to run its course. Luckily it was a quick virus that passed within 24 hours. He was back to school on Tuesday, and he was excited about hat and sunglasses day. Eli has been fascinated with all things in the car, especially the "ticker" aka turn signal. He likes to watch for it as it lights up on the dashboard, and then he will point with his finger in the direction that we are turning. One morning, he was shocked when I turned on the flashers, causing both "tickers" to light up, and I snapped this picture of him pointing in both directions. We have a good time on our car rides to school. 

A few other activities from this last week of May: Emmy, Eli, and I were able to go to one of Maddox's baseball games. The kids had fun cheering for their cousin when he came up to the plate. (They also enjoyed the snack from the concession stand purchased by Aunt Megan!) Emmy had one more field trip to finish out her kindergarten year. Her class went to the bowling alley, and according to the teachers, she was a natural. There were even a few times she didn't use the bumpers. On Friday night, I went out to dinner with the girls for Coley's birthday. She is the last in our group to turn 37, so now we are all officially in our late 30s. Wow, when did that happen?!

Our plans for the Memorial Day Weekend changed after the forecast predicted rain and temps in the lower 60s. It's the first MDW in a long time that we have not been at the lake with the Kennedys. Instead we stayed local and enjoyed being in Kernersville. We also started working on our Summer To-Do List by going to the Winston Cup Museum. Eli was in heaven seeing the race cars and climbing inside a few. Mommy even managed to squeeze in one of the cars! Emmy wasn't as thrilled about our outing, but she cooperated for a few photos. Today, with our day off, we went to the Science Center. The butterfly exhibit reopened, and the kids were excited to walk through the path and identify the different types. 

Here are the other items on our 2023 Kennedy Summer To-Do List. We can't wait to check off more fun adventures in the weeks ahead!

Emmy's Dance Recital

We are so proud of Emmy! Her dance recital was this evening, and it was so fun watching her on stage. As I was doing her hair and make-up beforehand, I started to question our decision to do dance this year. Luckily Aunt Megan and Grammy came to the rescue with hair spray, bobby pins, and lipstick. It was a group effort to get her stage-ready, and she sure looked beautiful! She posed for a lot of photos before the show with her fan club: Aunt Megan, Grammy, Grandpa, Granny, Paw Paw, and of course little brother Eli. Her class performed two numbers: a ballet dance to Butterfly Kisses and a tap number to You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home. Don't believe Boomer Kennedy when he tells you that his allergies were acting up during Butterfly Kisses! We were all wiping our eyes after that one. For the second song, Emmy cracked us up with her facial expressions. She really got into the motions and mouthed some of the lyrics as she danced. We are still unsure about continuing with dance next year, but for her first year, it was a wonderful experience. Emmy has really blossomed and shown more of her sweet personality. We love our little dancer so much!

 

In addition to dance, there have been several other big things for Emmy. She recently lost another tooth, her 8th one! According to Emmy, she has lost more than any of her other classmates. The last time that she lost a tooth, there was a scavenger hunt from the Tooth Fairy. When Emmy asked if there might be another scavenger hunt, Mommy and Daddy scrambled to put one together. 

 

Here are a few other pictures of Emmy from throughout the month of May. She is loving all the end-of-year activities and is getting excited for 1st Grade!

Mother's Day

I was spoiled with special homemade gifts and some of my favorite things for Mother's Day. Emmy made us matching bracelets, and both of the kids made crafts at their school. Boomer also bought some of my favorite drinks so that now I am stocked up for summer. 

The Mother's Day celebrations started on Friday with a Muffins with Mom breakfast at Eli's preschool. That evening, we went to Zander's all-star soccer game, and the kids enjoyed watching a little bit of the game before running around on the hill behind the stands. On Saturday, we went to the lake to spend the day with Boomer's family. We grilled out for lunch and dinner, and we went on two boat rides. The kids also fished with Paw Paw, and Emmy talked Granny into going in the water. It was still on the chilly side, so I was glad to stay on the dock. The water usually warms up by the time we visit again for Memorial Day, and certainly by the 4th of July. For only a day trip, we fit in a lot of lake memories. The day ended with quick baths and a change into pajamas before we made the drive back to Kernersville. We arrived home around 10:30PM, with both kiddos having to be carried to their beds. This morning, we made it to church 30 minutes early so that Emmy could sing in both services with the rest of the children. The song had a slideshow of pictures in the background, and Boomer had submitted a photo of Eli and me. Boomer and I had our monthly turn in the nursery, so we were not in the actual service, but I did get to see the children sing in the early hour. After church, we had lunch at my parents' house, and Mom made crockpot ravioli. My mom, sis, and I have a spa day planned for early June as a belated Mother's Day gift to each other, and I am looking forward to that day of relaxation. I do always like to drag out the celebrations :)